Fort McKay First Nation sees success with drilling

Tuesday, December 4, 2007  

After decades of poverty, the Fort McKay First Nation in northern Alberta is getting back on its feet thanks to oil drilling.

Chief Jim Boucher said the choice to tap into the reserve's oil sands was a simple one. "For us, there is no option. It's either this, or poverty and despair," he told The Sioux Falls Argus Leader.

Now the First Nation owns an industrial park that leases to the oil industry and owns business that provide services to the industry. But development also brought drugs and changes to the environment, Boucher acknowledged.

Another First Nation in Alberta sees the changes and isn't happy. The Mikisew Cree First Nation says pollution from oil sands drilling has contributed to cancer and other health problems.

Development of the oil sands is more difficult. Around the Fort McKay Reserve, more than 50 square miles of land has been dug up by drilling.

Get the Story:
First nation finds profit in Alberta development (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 12/4)

$rl Fort McKay First Nation - http://www.fortmckay.com